Testing: Springtime and Change

It’s been awhile since I have chronicled my adventures. Life here in classroom 8 has been trucking along. In the last few days I’ve heard several comments about how worried my current students were. They claimed that last semester’s students said I was mean, unfair, and made them work too much. My current student’s have boasted that this semester is not only fun but they’ve learned stuff. I’m both proud and scared at the same time: testing is in a week an a half. And when it gets here, it’ll all be over but the crying.

We are currently doing Julius Caesarthis week and next. But as I type, they are doing a practice EOI test. I took it upon myself to give them the test, gauge their progress, and then make up packets for them to hone their skills. On the one hand: I’m differentiating. On the other, I’m going to have to scramble this next week to get everything together.

But at the end of the day… it’s for my students. I have had some tough conversations this semester about cutting and depression and pregnancy and Christ and gay marriage and totalitarianism and… and… and… I have gotten frustrated with my 2nd hour but I have not lost my temper. I have had several students push every button, fail their work, and cease to try. But I have not given up. Even when I wanted to give up: I haven’t. I am praying my students pass their tests. But even if they deny everything I’ve tried to impart into their sophomoric brains, I know that God has taught me A LOT about what it means to be a leader, what it means to be a teacher, what it means to be me.

Several other factors into God’s molding have been my recent car accident and that my roommate is leaving at the end of May. Lots of changes are happening and this whole growing up thing is hard… But through it all I’ve had Christ and the support of the few readers who peruse this blog. And for that, I thank you.

I hope to be posting some of my lesson plans for Julius Caesar soon. I’m really enjoying this play and oddly enough, so are the students!